Tag: goth

Today is World Goth Day, a small but growing movement celebrating gothic culture. There are events going on around the globe (check out www.worldgothday.com for details of events in your area) and in theory it’s a time for goths of all shapes and sizes to get together and embrace our common interests.

Sadly, the reality of the gothic culture isn’t such a happy
image (yep, poor wording but you know what I mean!). Gothic culture is
suffering from a seeming epidemic of so-called ‘gatekeepers’. People who are so
protective of their opinion of what ‘goth’ is that they spend their time
denigrating anybody who dares to differ from that while still calling
themselves goth. Dress like a goth but don’t like the music? Out. Like the
music but don’t like the fashion? Out. Like some of the music but not others?
Out. Cyber goth? Nu goth? Industrial goth? Pastel goth? Out out out out. The
list goes on.

Now this may sound harmless and trivial, but in actuality it can be really damaging both to the individual under attack and to our culture as a whole. A lot of the time, mainstream society is a pretty unwelcoming place for us goths – you only have to read the story ofSophie Lancaster to see that – so imagine how it must feel to be rejected by both mainstream society AND the gothic society which you feel should embrace you? Are we really willing to reject people for being ‘different’ without seeing the inherent irony there?

If you keep in touch with world events it won’t surprise you
to learn that there is often a racist element to this gatekeeping too. Far too
regularly we see posts in social media claiming that you can only be goth if
you are white. It’s difficult to put into words how disgusting that is. Not to
mention monumentally stupid. Look at the history of music and try tell me that
goth music would have happened without black musicians. Look at how heavily
gothic fashion has been inspired by African designs (the most obvious example
being the Egyptian Ankh). But that’s almost beside the point. Racism has no
place here, or anywhere.

Goth is a subculture with a wide range of facets, full of
interesting people with interesting ideas. Part of the joy of being goth is
finding beauty in everything and embracing people’s differences. So sack the
gatekeepers, break down the walls, and celebrate the diversity that makes us
all wonderfully, weirdly goth.

Introducing our latest product drops! We’ve been busy working behind the scenes on designing and making our biggest launch yet – 35 brand new products that we hope you’ll love as much as we do.

Themed around witchcraft, mysticism and the occult these designs are very special to us, not just for what they represent but also because they bring in a new chapter at House Of Bats. These designs are the very first to be made using our 100% recycled acrylic! We’re so proud to be taking this next step in our efforts to reduce our impact on the environment, and to be able to do so while staying true to our style is a dream come true.